


Revenge Not So Sweetly

by Ruadhan



Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: Child Death, Multi, Revenge, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-27
Updated: 2014-09-27
Packaged: 2018-02-18 23:31:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2366000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruadhan/pseuds/Ruadhan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in the aftermath of "The Blacklist" season finale "Berlin." Lizzie shot Tom three times in the stomach. When the FBI got to the scene, Tom's body was already missing. For the last two months Lizzie has been living "off the grid" with Raymond Reddington. Red controls their every movement. Finally, Red sents Lizzie away to follow up on a lead to do with Berlin. Red stays behind to take care of some business. That business is Tom Keen. Red has discovered Tom's whereabouts and now Tom is going to pay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Revenge Not So Sweetly

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first posting, so be kind! I'm just a middle class shift worker having a bit of fun and trying to stay out of prison!
> 
> Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with "The Blacklist" or it's associations, writers etc

**Revenge Not So Sweetly **

 

CHAPTER ONE: INFERNO

**(DAY 1)**

**Oh Soul and thee**

**Come here and see**

**The evil that is Adam…**

**…For I have been**

**In depths of sin**

**So low so deep in Fathoms**

The afternoon was well advanced when the fall of echoing footsteps were heard descending down the winding stone staircase. The sound of Red’s approaching steps seemed to reverberate off the walls of the cavernous room below. The heavy metal door having already been unbolted, allowed Raymond Reddington to walk straight in.

 

Red was dressed in his accustomed impeccably tailored three piece suit complete with hat. He took off his black Fedora and placed it reverently on the low table, the single item of furniture in the room. He paused for a moment to survey the scene before him. Only two people were present in the empty room. There was an acrid smell of damp and sweat pervading the subterranean air. He inhaled deeply.

 

Tom was hanging from a steel beam that supported the roof of the cellar. His hands were tied behind his back. A chain had been wound through his upper arms and attached to the roof beam. His feet were also tied with a similar chain and he was suspended at least a foot from the stone flagged floor. Tom’s face was bruised and glistened with sweat. His limbs were involuntarily twitching with pain. It had been two months since Lizzie shot him in the stomach. He had been in hiding, trying to recuperate from his injuries, but they had not yet fully healed by the time Raymond Reddington and his team discovered his whereabouts.

 

Dembe was also present. He watched the captured carefully, noting every twitch and contraction. He flexed the muscles in his neck and stood by with one hand on the mechanism that controlled Tom’s restraints. As Raymond Reddington approached the group, Dembe gave a slight smile and nod in acknowledgement.

 

Tom’s level of alertness increased as Raymond Reddington drew nearer. His pulse began to rise significantly. In an effort to disguise his rising fear, he tried to laugh but it sounded more like a choking effort in his own head. Instead he grinned down at Red from his dangling position. His teeth were red from the blood in his mouth. “So now what? Are you going to torture me?” He gave a ghost of a wry smile. “You must know I’m not going to tell you anything.”

 

Red responded with a huge belly laugh, shaking his head incredulously. The noise echoed throughout the confined room. As the sound died away, Red’s eyes narrowed and became like steel. He held Tom’s own with a penetrating stare. The air in the cellar suddenly changed, becoming cooler. The room became deathly quiet. Tom was sure Red could actually hear his heart pounding in his ribcage. Red then cocked his head slightly to the side fixating on Tom and drawled, “Oh but Tom.... I already know everything….especially about your wife and twin boys in St Louis…. Damien and David are simply delightful children. A real credit to you. ” Red nodded and grinned back up at Tom.

 

Toms face fell and darkened. His breath came in a short rasp, “If you hurt them….”

 

“Now Tom…” Red threw his arms out wide and said with raised eyebrows, “or should I call you Marcin? Mmm? He looked questioningly at Tom. When he received a pallid smile in reply he continued, placing his hand over his heart and looking earnestly at Tom. “I would never hurt innocent children.” Then, as if to reconsider this declaration he looked up into the air contemplating the truth of that statement and gestured with his hands… “However, in your case….. I might make an acceptation.”

 

Red then proceeded to put one hand into his right vest pocket and leaned back slightly, appraising the prisoner before him. He then walked slowly and stealthily encircling Tom’s body. Red scrutinized him as if he was a carcass of beef hanging in a butchers shop and was deciding which piece he was going to choose for dinner. Red pushed Tom so that he swung back and fourth on his chains. Tom groaned as the extra pressure of the swinging motion caused more pain to his now trembling limbs. Red continued to encircle Tom, like some wild beast stalking his prey.

 

When Tom ceased to be in motion, Red stopped walking and stood behind Tom. He remained perfectly still, making no movements, saying nothing. Tom knew Red was standing so closely behind him, they were almost touching. He could smell Red’s expensive cologne drifting from behind and felt the exhale of Red’s breath on the light hairs on the back of his neck. Red stood like that for some time. This inaction on Red’s part brought Tom to near hysteria. The perspiration that was pumping out of him was running into his eyes, blurring his vision. Tom struggled to look over his shoulder and shouted at Red, “So what do you want now? Revenge?” Red laughed deeply. His laugh reverberating through Tom’s body like some evil possessed and his voice was like ice. He brought his lips to Tom’s ear, “I’ve always found Revenge to be over far too quickly.”

 

Like lightening, Red grabbed Tom’s throat from behind. He gripped Tom hard under the chin pulling his head back so that Tom’s back was pressed right up against Red’s Torso. Red wound his left arm around Tom’s chest trapping him tightly. Tom tried to pull away but Red steadied him. Red leaned in to whisper very slowly in Tom’s ear, “Now Nightmares…Tom....Nightmares….keep….coming…back…”

 

Red tightened the grip he had on Tom’s throat, his knuckles turning white. He could feel the pressure of Tom’s struggle to breathe straining at the muscles of his forearm and sneered in appreciation. Tom’s struggle began to wan and his movements lessened. Suddenly Red released his hold on Tom’s throat. Tom’s spluttered and his chest heaved trying to take in much needed oxygen. Still holding Tom around the chest, Red reached down to his right ankle, producing a large knife that had been concealed in a scabbard fastened underneath his right suit pant leg. Red held the knife at an angle under Tom’s chin.

 

Red continued to speak in the same low voice. “By now Tom, you must realise that nobody hurts my Lizzie and thinks he can get away with it.” Red slowly moved the razor sharp edge of the knife to rest up against Tom’s carotid artery. “I protect my own Tom.” Tom tried to hold himself still, trying to counteract the spasm of his limbs and the heaving of his chest the lack of oxygen had caused. He could now feel a thin trickle of blood running down his neck. He began drifting into unconsciousness. He could no longer feel the pain. He felt like he was descending down a deep dark tunnel. Somewhere in the darkness he heard the Devil speak. “And I will burn down your world to accomplish that…”

 

Tom awoke to a feeling of white hot searing pain just under his ribs. All of a sudden his senses came flooding back to him electrifying every nerve in his body. He tried to take a deep breath, but his chest was restricted. Red was still holding Tom around the chest. The knife now in his left hand while the fingers of his right hand were jabbed up under Tom’s ribs, pressing into his Solar Plexus with all his strength. The pain was excruciating. Tom gritted his teeth against the onslaught and moaned loudly. Then the pressure eased. “Welcome back Tom. It’s far too early to leave the party! We were just getting started!” Red chuckled while Tom’s body convulsed taking short stacatto breaths. “There. There Tom. Deep breaths. That’s it. In through your nose and out through your mouth.” Tom’s breathing gradually eased.

 

Red smiled wickedly with pleasure. “That was fun. Shall we do it again?” Tom turned to look over his shoulder again and tried to speak but it came out as a whimper. “No. No more..” Red chuckled and shook his head. “Lets begin…You have of course heard of The Good Samaritan killer? Mmmm?…Now I, like The Good Samaritan killer Tom, am going to hurt you the same way you hurt my Lizzie. You broke her heart Tom. So now…. I’m going to brake yours.” Smack! Tom’s head snapped back onto his shoulders having been slapped across the face by Red. “Stay with me Tom….Pay Attention!”

 

“But first I think I’ll start gradually …with something small” Red twisted the knife back and forth with his wrist. He nicked a little cut under Tom’s chin and watched as the blood trailed a path down Tom’s neck. This simple gesture pleased him. “You poured your poisoned lies into Lizzie’s ears Tom. You told her that you loved her Tom. I can’t allow that.” Then with a shove Red pushed Tom away causing him to swing once again on his perch. Tom did not even have sufficient energy to groan in pain this time.

 

With a quick strike, Red’s left hand shot out and caught Tom’s right ear, in between his thumb and forefinger. Tom now spun around due to the rapid movement while Red still held onto his ear. Red slowed Tom’s movements and came face to face with him, looking him in the eye once again. Then red’s expression seemed to morph into something more dangerous. A slow chilling smile emerged. Red’s mouth made the smile but it did not reach his eyes which were raging and fierce, boring into Tom’s widening orbs. Red then positioned the knife that was in his right hand on the cartilage of Tom’s ear. The blade poised, waiting, flat up against Tom’s skull and in a whisper said “Are you feeling me Tom?”

 

In one swift movement, Red severed Tom’s right ear from his skull. “Aaghhhh…..” Tom’s screams bounced off the walls filling the entire room. His head jerked back and his mouth was wide open. He screamed until his breath ran out. Then his head fell forward. The pain ripped through his head. His head was now hanging low on his chest, leaving him whimpering like a child and again swinging back and forth on the chains. Red tilted his head in contemplation of the oozing mess where Tom’s ear should have been. He still held the knife in his right hand. A thin film of blood dripped gently off the tip to the floor. The severed ear still in his left hand. Red then held the ear up in the air, bringing it to his nose and gave a loud sniff. “Ahh…Hubris”… Red then tossed the ear over his shoulder behind him onto the floor, discarding it like a piece of rotten meat.

 

Red approached Tom again and now wiped the blood off his blade onto tom’s sweat stained shirt. Tom opened one eye and tried to fix on Red but he had already turned towards Dembe. All Tom could see through the fog of pain was the glint of the knife as Red replaced it in his scabbard.

 

Red approached his friend with a casual air and a satisfied smile played on his lips. “Dembe. Is the sterile room ready?” Red raised his eyebrows with the question.

 

His bodyguard and friend nodded in the affirmative. “Yes Raymond. Everything is set up as you desired.”

 

Red nodded in reply “Good. Very good. Then we’ll proceed as planned.” He walked over to the small table and picked up a cloth and wiped his hands. He quickly inspected his attire and made a satisfied sound noting that he did not have one speck on blood on his pristine apparel. He replaced his Black fedora on his head, putting it on with both hands and then adjusted the brim with his right.

 

He walked forward and then stopped, turning as if he had forgotten something. He fixed his attention towards Dembe and said “ Dembe. See to it that Dr Gordon tends to Tom’s injuries would you please.” He cocked his head to the side and gave a malicious grin. “We wouldn’t want him dying on us now would we? Well. Not yet anyway.” He nodded, turned and left the room. His footsteps resonating on the stairs as he rose.

 

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Red sat in his favourite position on Frederick Hempstead’s couch. He liked to watch the setting sun through the window as it filtered between the trees casting a myriad of shades of amber and gold into the room. It was a simple pleasure in a very otherwise complicated lifestyle. He had this moment to just, be. He had discarded his Caraceni suit jacket and Zegna tie earlier in the evening. His grey tailored vest was unbuttoned to the waist, his shirtsleeves were rolled up. Despite his casual attire, he still appeared to be every inch the powerful animal he was. His thick muscled shoulders and arms could not be wholly concealed beneath his crisp white shirt.

 

He looked down at the glass tumbler in his hand and swirled the ice in the milky liquid. He still had no idea what the liquid was made from, but suspected that it was a distilled beverage something similar to “Moonshine” or Irish “Poitín.” Probably closer to the Irish tipple. Ever since the house had come into his possession, he had discovered some wonderful and delicious secrets within. This ambrosia was one of them.

 

He put the tumbler to his lips and drank deeply from it, welcoming the burning sensation as it scorched a path down his throat. He immediately felt his whole being relax. Sometimes pain felt good. His eyes half closed and his head dropped back onto the cushion. He tried to clear his mind and not to let thoughts invade his reverie but it was impossible. A consistent thought needled at his conscience. Should he tell Lizzie about Tom?

 

Even as he considered the question, he knew in his heart that he could never reveal what he had done. Lizzie must never know. It was his job to protect her. If that meant protecting her from herself then so be it. He would bear the brunt of the deceit. His shoulders were strong. He could carry it for both of them. Lizzie must never know what was contained in the “Vault” below the property.

 

As if on cue, Dembe appeared with a mobile phone in his hand. “Raymond, it is Agent Keen.” Dembe still used Lizzie’s more formal title. Red put down his glass, stood up and took the phone from Dembe, who retreated into the other room closing the door behind him. Red mentally shook off his sombre mood before speaking. The mask slipped back into place. “Lizzie! What a pleasure. How’s Florida? Have you managed to trace Berlin’s contact yet?”

 

He heard Lizzie’s intake of breath “Well… I’ve managed to set up a meeting with a possible contact of his in the morning. If all goes well I should be back in about three or four days time.”

 

“That’s good work Lizzie. How’s the temporary accommodation down there? I didn’t have much time to set it up” Red replied as he paced the room, a slow smile creased his lips.

 

“I’ll take temporary accommodation any time! This mansion is huge. It even has a rooftop swimming pool with a view of the beach and my own personal chef! Where did you find it?” Lizzie gushed with enthusiasm. She sounded happier than she had been in the last number of weeks. Right now she was sitting on the couch watching the waves.

 

“It belongs to Arnold, a friend of mine, who has questionable interests in counterfeit ammunition. He was recently paid a visit by some of your federal friends quoting the RICO Act. He’s working on his tan in Croatia while I set him up with a new identity. I’m glad you like it.” Red was pleased to hear the lightness return to her voice again. It had been a strenuous couple of weeks since Berlin had struck. Lizzie had been under a lot of strain living “off the grid” with Red.

 

“It’s a pity you’re not here with me. I’d think you’d like it. Are you sure you can’t come?” She lay back on the couch, now twirling a piece of her long brown hair around her fingers as she thought of him. She hated to admit it, but living with Red these last few weeks had left her feeling confined, especially since he controlled their every movement. She was surprised when he eventually agreed to let her go solo to Florida to chase up on a lead with his team. She relished the change of scenery but now that he was absent, she felt a little lonely, his mere presence was a comfort to her.

 

“I’m sorry Lizzie. Something unexpected came up. A bit of business. I hope you understand.” He winced involuntarily as he said those words. He didn’t want to think of the business below stairs right now.

 

Lizzie’s caught the slight change of tone in Red’s voice. It was small, but it was there. Living so closely with him over the last number of weeks had attuned her ear to the subtle changes in his voice. She knew there was something on his mind that he didn’t want to talk about. She sat up. Alarm arising in her chest. “Is it something to do with Tom? Have you discovered his whereabouts?”

 

Red knew there was no way he could answer this question directly. He was annoyed with himself that he had given an inkling that something was wrong. Not without revealing everything he had done. Lizzie would call him a monster. He knew he deserved the title but he couldn’t bear that word to come from her lips again. It all but shattered him the last time, even though he hadn’t let it show how much it really hurt him. Instead he concentrated on maintaining a nonchalant reply, giving one of his characteristic vague answers. “I have an idea Tom is closer than we think….It’s just business. Nothing for you to worry about. You concentrate on that meeting and I’ll see you in a few days time.” Red hoped she wouldn’t pursue the subject. He reached down to the glass and took another swallow.

 

Lizzie heard the tinkling of the ice in his glass as he put it to his lips. She knew Red was holding something back. He had done this before, but she also knew when she needed to back down. She had seen for herself how dark some of his moods became. Even Dembe confided in her that Red could stay up nights on end without sleep, sometimes working, sometimes thinking. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t worried. “Are you sure you’re ok?”

 

Red replied trying to sound more upbeat. “Of course I’m sure. Don’t worry.”

 

Lizzie began to squirm in her seat with uneasiness. Hoping Red wouldn’t shut down. “Somebody once told me “criminal’s are notorious liars.” ”

 

Red smiled at a memory of Lizzie before him. He said in a quieter voice, “I heard that too… Stop worrying. Goodnight lizzie.”

 

Lizzie sighed, “Goodnight Red.” She looked at the phone. She knew that’s all he was willing to share tonight. She hung up and rested the phone on her chest. Gently placing her hand over it and leaving it there.

 

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Meanwhile, below the ground, Tom lay on a gurney. He was naked except for a white sheet that partially covered his nude body. He was intoxicated from the administrations of powerful drugs and fluids which hung from drip stands and were flowing through tubing into his veins. As he vaguely regained consciousness he tried turning his head to the left hand side but found he could not. There was some kind of padding attached to the place where his left ear should have been and it felt heavy. He could hear a consistent beep somewhere above his head and had no idea what it meant. His lips were dry and his throat felt swollen and bruised. He surveyed the room. It looked like a hospital suite. There were medical machines, glass cabinets and equipment lined up against the walls. In the distance a large overhead light hung from the ceiling. Tom could feel the pressured flow of oxygen in his nose from tubing attached to an oxygen bottle beside the gurney.

 

Tom tried to move, to change position, but he was restrained by something. He looked towards his chest and observed that he was strapped to the trolley. Restraints had been placed across his chest and on his wrists and ankles. His eyes then focused on the machine above his head, emitting the nose. He then realised the beeping noise was his own heartbeat. His head flopped back onto the pillow. Where the hell was he? What had happened? He called out feebly “Hello….Is anybody there?”

 

A dark shape moved towards him. It was silhouetted by the bright light behind. His eyes tried to make sense of the face but couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman. A woman’s voice said “Hello Dearie. You’re not supposed to be awake. Let me help you with that.” He observed the hands moving deftly with a needle injecting something into his intravenous line. Then only sweet oblivion.

 

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**Revenge Not So Sweetly **

 

CHAPTER TWO: SOUND AND FURY

 

**(DAY 2)**

**My mind’s ablaze**

**My life is rage**

**The deeds that I have done…**

**…I’ve poisoned those**

**I’ve loved the most**

**With promises unsung**

 

Raymond Reddington peered into the bruised face of Tom Keen, AKA Marcin Morell. Red could tell Tom’s heartbeat was steady and regular. After all, it showed on the monitor. He glanced in the direction of Dr Pierce Gordon. “Wake him up. He’s ready for the Vault.”

 

An hour later, Tom awoke to find he was alone inside the vault, occupying his previous position under the beam. This time he was lying on a different the gurney. This gurney had metal arm and leg rests that jutted out at an angle to his body and his limbs were strapped to them. The padding was still on the left side of his head. There were now a few more items of furniture in the room. One item included a large spotlight that peered over him from above, illuminating his position. This meant that every bruise, every blemish, every pore that Tom possessed were highlighted for the satisfaction of the voyeur. His pain and distress under a microscope for the pleasure and control of one man.

 

After some time, Tom heard the sliding of large bolts across the metal door to the Vault. The door opened and in walked Dembe. His athletic frame moving with easy grace across the room. Dembe carried with him some items wrapped in a suede leather cloth and proceeded to arrange them on a stainless steel trolley nearby. He completely ignored Tom’s presence in the room all the while completing his task. Tom raised his head and tried to capture his attention. “So what’s next? How about a little show and tell? Tom chuckled out loud to himself. “When’s the big event?” louder now “When do I expect the pleasure of a visit from the big man himself?” Tom grinned at Dembe who still ignored him.

 

As if by magic, the Big Man himself materialised and appeared in the room larger than life, under the spot light, looming over Tom. This time Red wore surgical scrubs and white surgical boots. Red acknowledged Tom with a cheery address, “Well Good Morning Tom!” Red grinned as he took stock of the bandage on Tom’s left ear, commenting in his best consolatory tone “Nasty bit of business,” slightly biting the inside of his cheek… “And now for some more nasty business…”

 

Tom made the effort to laugh out loud “What’s on today’s agenda? A little bit of nip and tuck? A little lift around the eyes? I’m dy-ing to find out?” The excessive grinning hurt his head even more but he didn’t want to let on. He still felt whoozy. Red just smiled and raised his eyebrows in reply. He proceeded to dress himself in a waterproof smock, gloves and splash proof glasses. He looked over at Tom who wasn’t grinning any more.

 

Red wheeled the trolley over towards Tom. He began rearranging what looked like surgical tools one might find in an orthopaedic hospital. He picked up a small hand axe. “Did I ever tell you the story about my time in Guatemala?” He cocked his eye at Tom who was eagerly watching the tool in Red’s gloved hand with great interest. Red looked into the air as if recalling an event. “It was about 6 years ago in the summertime. There was a severe heat wave. It lasted nearly six weeks. By that time people were going just crazy in the streets, crime had gone through the roof, the mice were eating the rats, people were losing their minds…” Red waved the tool in the air to indicate a crazy person.

 

“I was attending a closed meeting with a local drug runner, when all of a sudden, the door burst open and in ran this crazy little man. He was completely naked and had this huge tattoo of a snake on his arm. He was holding a small axe in his hand.” Red waved the tool for emphasis. “He would have been shot except the Guatemalans recognised him as one of their cousins. The next thing that happened was… in one swift movement, he chopped off his left arm, right in front of us!.. he thought the snake was attacking him! I’ll never forget the look on his face Tom…” Red suddenly raised the axe over his head, his eyes burning with vitriolic hatred .. Fear ripped through Tom’s chest…With one blow Red brought the axe down across Tom’s right wrist severing his hand form his forearm.

 

The hand went sliding across the floor. “Aahhh…..Aahhh ….Aaaahhh…Tom’s screams came in bursts watching the artery in his wrist spurting blood where his hand used to be. Red carefully returned the axe to the trolley. Ignoring Tom’s cries, he picked up two surgical metal clamps and held them up. Red focused his attention on Tom’s face once again, “Yes. You’re correct Tom…He reacted just like that!” Red leaned into Tom’s face and whispered “the crawling King Snake Tom.” He then began to clamp the arteries and blood vessels in Tom’s wrist, in case he lost too much blood. He wasn’t finished yet. Not by a long shot. Tom continued to moan loudly.

 

Red then leaned down and picked up Tom’s hand from the floor. He held it up before Tom’s face and said “was this the hand you used to place the wedding ring on Lizzie’s finger Tom? All those broken promises…You won’t be doing that again…” Tom stared at Red transfixed in total shock. “Welcome to my theatre Tom…Are you enjoying the performance so far?”

 

In the next hour, Red had severed both of Tom’s arms and feet from his body making sure Tom was awake during all procedures. Tom’s face was ashen with pain and shock. All he could do was to open and close his mouth like some fish out of water that was gasping for oxygen. His eyes no longer focused. He was not aware of his surroundings, but he was still alive.

 

Finally red peeled off his gloves, smock and glasses placing everything in the bins provided. The boiling anger that had been raging up inside him for so long began to leave his body and he felt exhausted, totally drained. He left Tom to the care of Dr Gordon, went upstairs and took a long scalding hot shower. That night he slept without nightmares for the first time in as many months.

 

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**(DAY 3)**

 

**Temptation rides**

**The torment tides**

**The agony by inches…**

**…It crawls and writhes**

**Inside my chest**

**My core it shakes and flinches**

 

Tom awoke to the feeling of the ground trembling beneath him. He opened his eyes and saw that he was staring at the ceiling and that the lights were moving. No, wait a minute. He was moving, not the lights. Then it all came flooding back to him, the axe, the pain. He realised he was still on the gurney and that the gurney was being wheeled back inside the Vault. Tom raised his head and saw white bandaging in the place where his hands and feet should have been. He began to freak out “No…No.. Take me back… Not there…Not there…” Although his voice was screaming inside his head, it barely rose above a whisper. He desperately began to struggle on the gurney but it was no use. The gurney stopped in his previous position under the spot light. He then felt his head and shoulders rising as someone raised the head of the gurney bed. It was difficult to see clearly as the light above him was blinding. The harsh light of the spotlight made Tom’s corpse like features even more grotesque. His face was almost translucent. His skin was drawn tightly across his cheekbones and pale threadlike blue lines stood out on his skin. He felt nauseated from the drugs and tried to swallow it back down. His breathing was erratic.

 

Dembe entered the room pushing a large flat television screen on a tall stand. He positioned the screen at the bottom of the gurney, made some adjustments unwound electrical cables and left the room. The screen was blank. Tom’s vision was blurry but he followed Dembe as he returned bringing two tall stools into the room. At the door of the Vault, Tom thought he saw a shape move. He felt the presence of Raymond Reddington enter the room rather than actually seeing him. In a heartbeat Red appeared at his side.

 

Red was impeccably dressed in a fine linen coloured suit. He pulled the stool up beside Tom and sat down. Tom’s body began to shudder. His eyes made contact with Red’s face. He could see him clearly now. Red placed his hand on Tom’s head and rubbed his hair gently. “Tom, you look awful” red glanced down at his bandages, raising his eyebrows in a question he said “have you lost weight?” Tom couldn’t tear his eyes away from red’s face. Red’s green eyes held him mesmerised. He tried to speak but could only manage to mouth the words ….No…More. Red nodded his head and bit the inside of his cheek in understanding, still holding Tom under his powerful spell. Red caressed Tom’s hair with his thumb now and spoke, “The day that we spoke at the hospital Tom, the day Sam died, I warned you. I told you I would be watching from the shadows….If you had walked away…If you had just left Tom….You wouldn’t be here this evening,” said Red shaking his head in disappointment. “But you chose to continue, despite my warning Tom, you chose to go on. So now I must go on. I keep my promises Tom…I promised to brake your heart and that I would burn down your world to do so….Hell is about to be unleashed Tom”

 

Red stopped caressing Tom’s hair and looked over to Dembe and nodded. Dembe came over, handed Red a headset with an ear piece. Red put it on and adjusted it. The door to the Vault clanged shut. The lights went out leaving the Vault in darkness. The room was still. The television suddenly came to life leaving the screen to cast a green ghoulish hue on the three inhabitants inside. Red spoke into the mouth piece. “Control to Red Team. Do you copy?”

 

An unknown voice in Red’s headset replied “Yes control. Red Team standing by. Awaiting instructions.” Tom’s eyes were glued to the screen and widened as he recognised the house that was now showing on the screen. His heart skipped a beat. Although the picture was dark, it was shown through a night –time vision camera. Tom recognised the front of the house, in St Louis, Missouri. It was his house. Where his wife Claudette and twin 8 year old sons, Damien and David lived. He heard Red say, “commence operation.”

 

Tom watched as an unknown person entered his house and moved silently throughout. Tom saw his living room. The sofa he and his wife bought on their third anniversary, the photo’s of the boys as infants on the wall, the discarded football boots in the hall…The unknown proceeded upstairs. Tom leaned forward trying to get a better look, straining at his restraints despite the pain. A hand pushed open the door to his wife’s bedroom. Claudette was in bed asleep, the blankets up to her chin. That was the way she always slept, all cuddled up. The voice in Red’s headset said “Standing by.” Tom could see Claudette’s golden curls and how peaceful she looked.

 

Red leaned into Tom and whispered in his right ear, “are you ready to be heartbroken?” A loud sob erupted from Tom’s lips, his cries were like that of a lonely wounded animal. “Nooooo….” Red gave the order. Tom watched in agony as he saw a large knife being raised over the sleeping form of his wife. Tom couldn’t believe his eyes as he saw the knife being brought down on top of his wife’s form again and again. Claudette didn’t know what hit her. She never even woke up. There was a large red stain creeping across the bed coverings where Claudette’s body lay. The unknown stopped and walked along the corridor into the next room, gently pushing open the door to the room.

 

Two single beds were side by side. The young boys were still asleep. One was lying on his stomach, with one leg hanging outside the bedcovers. The camera moved in close. He looked so angelic, with a little cheeky smile on his lips. “Damien” thought Tom…always the little rascal… The other boy slept all cuddled up like his mother, with one hand resting on his pillow before him. “David” thought Tom…just like his mother… The voice in Red’s headset again chirped “standing by..”

 

Red stood up, leaned in and looked Tom in the eye once again. Tom shrunk back into himself. Fear paralysing him. His heart was pumping so fast he thought he was going to die. The blood was draining from his head, he could no longer hear anything. As if in slow motion, Tom saw Red turn his head to stare at the screen, his lips moving in slow motion, mouthing the word, “Proceed.” The green glow causing Red to appear larger than life, like some sort of avenging angel. Tom couldn’t watch. He just couldn’t. Not that. Not ever. Tom closed his eyes tightly and screamed with all his strength and lost consciousness.

 

Tom awoke to a burning sensation all over his body just under his skin. Somebody had injected something into his intravenous drip. The television was still glowing green. The picture on the screen still showing his son’s bedroom. There were large bloodstains on the bed covers and on the walls over the bed. Hell in all it’s fury had come. Tom raised his eyes towards Raymond Reddington. He recognised the devil incarnate. The last thing Tom saw before his heart stopped, was the fierce burning intensity behind Red’s green eyes that had indeed burnt his world down.

 

Raymond Reddington was still sitting beside Tom’s body when the lights came up. Tom’s eyes were open and staring, but were sightless. Red closed Tom’s eyes with his hand and laid his palm gently on Tom’s shoulder. Red exhaled a breath, stood up and stretched his back. He looked towards the screen which was still on and said into the mouthpiece “Control to Red Team. Do you copy?”

 

A voice replied “Red Team to Control. Awaiting instructions.”

 

“Very good work Red Team. Commence clean up. Is Mr Kaplan available?” Red watched the screen intently as more people appeared within the frame. Mr Kaplan’s face then appeared before him, also wearing a headset. “Ah there you are! Excellent work putting all this together Mr Kaplan. It’s worthy of an “Oscar” nomination. How long before the family wake up?”

 

Mr Kaplan in his usual efficient tone replied, “The gas will render them unconscious for a minimum of six hours, after that the gas will be undetectable in their bloodstream. We’ll have all the props removed and items replaced by then. The family will never know we’ve ever been here. The boys will be ready and awake for school by 7am.”

 

Red complimented his team again and left them to the clean up. He returned upstairs and sat down on his favourite place on the couch. Pouring himself a large glass of spirits, he looked out the window once again even though it was dark and took a big swallow. The familiar burning sensation relaxed him. After a while Dembe came into the room as if he had been bidden and stopped before Red. “Dembe, there you are! A nasty bit of business, but your organisation skills were perfect. Make sure Dr Gordon has everything he needs to fly Tom’s body back to St Louis.” Red turned to look out the window again. Dembe stood waiting. He hadn’t been dismissed yet. Red turned his attention back to him once again, “have New York contact me in the morning regarding the trust fund for the family. I want to make sure the scholarships for the twins are set up exactly as I have instructed. I want to ensure the family’s future is financially secure by the end of the week. Thank you Dembe, That’s all for tonight.” Dembe bade Red Goodnight and left the room as silently as he had come in. Red returned to stare out the window once again. The rising moon shone on Red’s frame as he sat in the darkness, looking out the window, deep in thought until the sun came up.

 

**I try to hide**

**The voice inside**

**My deepest darkest fears…**

**…My body hones**

**What stains my bones**

**And I cannot cry tears**

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
